Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

29 reviews

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional hopeful sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

i cried 30 pages in, i cried many times in the middle of this book, and i cried at the end, too

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emotional inspiring slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

This kind of reminded me of a more gritty version of "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse." Maybe it's that the characters find each other and start a journey of self reflection? I don't know, it's a strange comparison, but in my brain they feel similar.

The pacing in My Friends is kind of slow, but I appreciate the reflection of art, friendship and what it means to grow up. 
I think this book is so beautiful and the lines are so poignant- I want to buy a copy to highlight the parts that stuck out to me. This made me want to cry at one moment and laught in the next. I'll think about these characters for a long time.

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Laughing. 

Crying. 

Smiling.

All on a loop. Frdrik Backman, the writer that you are! I think this might be in my top 3 Fredrik Backman books. No, cuz why?! Why?! Only he can make a book about a painting worthwhile. His storytelling is like no other, and just when you think you know what's going on, you just DON'T! The way he writes is unlike that of any other author; no one can compare to his writing style. Ted is literally my spirit animal. There are so many worthwhile lines in here. The commentary on friendship, adulthood, abuse, death, fear, etc was so well done. I feel like his writing really shines here. Would definitely re-read this book (and I don't re-read)

Honestly, although I love Fredrik Backman, I've never rated a single one of his books 5 stars, unfortunately (I'm very picky when it comes to 5 stars). And I think it comes down to the fact that although I'm in love with his writing style, he does do a lot of telling rather than showing. And I felt like in this book, although I loved all the characters (even warmed up to Ali), I wasn't too connected with them because I felt like we were getting told a lot of things very abruptly, instead of it progressing like an actual story would, if that makes sense. And it's because of that where I felt that disconnect towards them; I didn't feel that emotional tug, you know that would push this to be 5-stars for me!

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this one. I don't think there will ever be a time when I don't enjoy a Fredrik Backman book, really. Shout-out to his translator and Marin Ireland, the narrator. She always does a phenomenal job narrating his books.

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’ve never cried so early in a book before. At the moment you realize where a story is about to take you.

This heartbreakingly beautiful book felt like realizing your last good summer has already happened. But then being gifted the knowledge that stories aren’t linear like we were told back then.

I loved this so much.

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It always takes me a while to acclimate to a Backman book, and this one was a bit of a rough ride. 🚂 Truthfully, it wasn’t until about the halfway mark that I began to care for its characters. I found myself wishing that Ted would just tell Louisa his story chronologically already—the walk down memory lane was more of a dizzying maze than a nice stroll. Funny enough, Louisa started getting mad at Ted for this, too! That said, the novel deals with many difficult topics which I thought were handled beautifully. Overall, a sad book, but I just wasn’t SAD, you know? Get your notebook out because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Oy vey!

“It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fredrik Backman has not only such a unique way of seeing the world but also of writing stories that inspires you to reflect on and appreciate the transcendent interconnections between ordinary moments and ordinary lives. I wish I could see the world in this way all the time, but I can’t so I read Backman’s books instead.

I finished the book sobbing and laughing AT THE SAME TIME! How it is possible to elicit such strong distinct emotions in me is beyond my understanding, but that is the beauty of Backman’s writing.

Once again, I must recognize Neil Smith for the incredible translation into English. If something was lost in translation, I don’t even think it matters because it is perfect as it is.

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

There's a song Only The Wind by Ólafur Arnolds. When I listen to it, I feel somehow like I'm soaring and I'm falling all at the same time. I can't decide if I'm laughing or if I'm crying. Maybe it's both together. All I find myself thinking is how human I am, we all are, and how complicated that is. 
This book is that song in written form. And it is etched in my bones now.

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